36 Alternatives
by konnistique
Summary: Naruto falls, Sasuke tells him to stop, Sai doesn't. Naruto falls, Sai saves him, Sasuke doesn't.


Naruto-centric; Naruto+Sasuke; g; general/mild angst; one-shot;

**Disclaimer: **Don't own any of the characters, nor Yellowcard's 'Fighting', nor the image or proverb, nor anything except the plot (or lack thereof)

_Naruto falls, Sasuke tells him to stop, Sai doesn't. Naruto falls, Sai saves him, Sasuke doesn't._

**36 alternatives (the best of)**

**

* * *

**

_( Said I'm okay...)_

_un._

_i._

Naruto is falling.

He feels the speed of the wind whipping against his cheeks like razor blades; feels his eyes clench at the acceleration of the downward spiral motion that is making his stomach churn; feels something—the _prickle, prickle_—akin to pain that isn't the deep gash in his leg; feels loose rubble in his clothes that makes him itch; feels soil on his hands and cheeks, smeared across like black ink (_how flawed_) on white canvas; feels, feels...

He wants to scream, yell for someone to help him, to—_save me, please_—to hear his plummeting dive under a sky of dark dreams that seem to scream tears (and maybe they will, when he lands). He wants to reach his arms out, to grasp something—_anything_—even if it's just to feel his fingers scrap against the rocky surface of the side of the cliff; a smear of red wine.

He sees nothing, tastes nothing, smells nothing, touches nothing, hears—

_Stop._

—echoes of everything.

_Stop._

And he's free falling into the middle of nowhere.

_deux._

_ii._

_(Stop. Stop it, Naruto._ I can't._ Just stop it. _I-I wish I could too. _It won't get anywhere._ It might. _Nowhere._ Maybe where forever exists._ Stop it, now._ I can't seem to be able to. _The path ahead is only one of uneven grounds. _You punctured cracks in this world of ours. _We can never stand on the same ground again. _Dream-burnt bridges I can't rebuild. _There are too many missing pieces you can't find again._ But. _And it'll hurt you. _But I can try. _Stop it now, Naruto._ I can try. _Stop. Stop. Stop. _Sasuke.)

_trois._

_iii._

Naruto is still falling.

And it's a like a rush of adrenaline he can't stop. It's diving into a realm where regrets are rainbows and frowns are felicities. He clenches his fists and his eyes stay shut. The dark dreams above break tears onto his cheeks. He feels the air still trying to rip his skin open, knife-edged sharp stalactites of ice; hears the rustle of clothing somewhere near him; hears a whispered_ Choujuu Giga _tickling his skin, then feels rough fingers grasp his wrists; feels like he's flying through a gravity-less zone with fear for wings—

—that halts with an undignified bounce on something solid, then the wind is slowing down to a smooth glide; creeps across his cheeks like brushes of feather. He feels a warm hand on his shoulder and was that an illusionary breath of _'Are you okay, Naruto?'_

Yeah. _Maybe_.

_quatre._

_iv._

He feels hands pulling and lifting him, hears voices yelling around above him. Naruto keeps his eyes closed and listens to bickers of _'He looks fine, it's just his leg I think'_ and _'He was thrown off a cliff, Sai!'._ He focuses his mind on Sakura's gentle hands, that not only heals him physically but he knows he can place his heart into them as well; focuses on Sai who he knows, despite his peculiar ways, the reassuring hand on his shoulder is more comfort than not; focuses on the feel of light rays of sunshine streaming pass dispersing clouds that seem to paint hope against his light tresses. Warm fingers brush against his forehead and with it, concerned sounds of _'Are you okay?' _And he tells them an_ 'I'm okay' _they don't hear.

His clear, blue eyes sparkle smiles of reassurance in their hands they can't refuse.

_cinq._

_v._

The ground underneath his head is uneven— jagged like edges of _too many missing pieces_ of jigsaw.

Naruto wishes he can keep on falling.

'

_( ...but I know how to lie. )_

_

* * *

_

**Edit:** 'Kay, I've come to realise that this writing style isn't that well received here in this fandom, so this may (or may not) be the last fic (till I've worked out what style is best). Of course, I understand the difference in audieneces, so no hard feelings! :) If you like and understand the analogies, I'd be thoroughly touched, if you don't, I still thank you for trying!

**Original A/N:** There's not much of a plot, just lots of Naruto musings. His character feels a little easier to write than Sasuke's tbqh. A lot of images are left open to interpretation so let your mind run wild :) It's not supposed to be (very?) sad, depends on how you (want to) look at it. Oh, if anyone was curious, the proverb is- _"Of all the thirty-six alternatives, running away is best."_ Yeah, idek. I sort of drew a rough parallel between 'running' and 'falling' and all the mess in between Naruto, Sasuke and their bond.

Feedback/comments are very much appreciated! Thank you for dropping by!


End file.
